Cardinals demote Duncan

Saturday

May 31, 2008 at 12:01 AM

The Associated Press

All week, St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa defended Chris Duncan from critics harping on his uncertain fielding and sporadic hitting. Then, a day after Duncan got the go-ahead hit and made a couple of nice defensive plays in left field, he was sent to the minors.

Duncan was optioned to Triple-A Memphis yesterday to iron out his difficulties. The Cardinals recalled power-hitting outfielder Joe Mather from Memphis and had him in the lineup last night.

La Russa said the criticism made it more difficult to make the move "because you don't want to appear to be giving in." After sleeping on it last night, the fact the Cardinals would be facing five left-handed starters in seven days made it a prudent decision to give Duncan, who bats left-handed, regular at-bats in the minors.

La Russa said he made the decision after consulting coaches and the front office.

"It was a very tough call, because even though he's not quite himself, he's still surviving here," La Russa said. "He's not hitting under .200, he's hitting .260."

The 25-year-old Mather, a third-round pick in 2001 is the sixth player to make his debut with the Cardinals this season, getting the call-up after hitting 10 homers this month.

? DICE-K ON DL: Daisuke Matsuzaka was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Boston Red Sox, who opted to take a cautious approach after an MRI exam revealed a mild strain of his right rotator cuff.

Matsuzaka was examined in Boston by Dr. Thomas Gill. It is the first trip to the disabled list by Matsuzaka, who joined the Red Sox last season after pitching in Japan.

"The real good news is there were no structural changes," Boston Manager Terry Francona said. "The best way we can see to attack this, we'll DL him, take the time down and get him ready to pitch the rest of the season. That's kind of where we are."

The move was retroactive to Wednesday. Matsuzaka is 8-0 with a 2.53 ERA in 11 starts this season. Opponents are batting .195 against him.

? CHAMBERLAIN TO START TUESDAY: Joba Chamberlain received his long-awaited promotion, and the rookie right-hander will make his first start for the Yankees at home in the Bronx.

Manager Joe Girardi said the 22-year-old will take the mound at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night against Toronto and be limited to 65 or 70 pitches.

The Yankees have been grooming Chamberlain for the rotation since selecting him out of the University of Nebraska with the 41st overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft. After posting a 0.38 ERA in 19 appearances last season, Chamberlain had a 2.28 ERA in 20 games out of the bullpen this year.

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